Friday 19.05.2023

 Carried along on a wave of essence-of-coconut this morning as the sun shone down on the gorse which has been at its very best for the last week, while waiting in the wings is its paler, quieter cousin the yellow broom. And everything just so green, that new optimistic green, reassuring that, for the time being at least, the seasons keep on coming round. 

So many days recently that have been perfect for walking, warm sun, cool breeze, even the cloudy but humid ones with the occasional face-freshening sprays of warm rain: it`s the second best season after autumn. 😉 And of course, on this side of the country - no midges. (Just watched a film, or more accurately six one hour episodes, of someone walking the Cape Wrath Trail in August and can`t see the pleasure of doing  it when there`s clouds of them getting into everything........they are an absolute scourge).

Wednesday 10.05.2023

 "Relax into the uncertainty" somebody once said and it`s probably the only way to enjoy the days at the moment. One minute the sun, which has real warmth in it, next a monsoon, floods, angry skies and thunder. Turn around and there`s the sun again, the floods evaporate as quickly as they arrived and momentarily there are clouds of steam rising from field and road.

There`s more Spring arrivals: today both housemartins and swallows have arrived, busily preening and shaking out their feathers as they sway gently backwards and forwards on the telephone wires, maybe checking out what if anything has changed since last year (not much).

The beasts are out now on the field adjacent to the woods - looking as always slightly bemused by all the space though they`ll soon get used to it. And if it gets too hot there`s nearly always a handy hoof spa in the corner of the field.

It sometimes felt almost sub-tropical in the deepest part of the woods, the warm air full of moisture and heavy with evocative scents. Butterflies and bees fluttered and buzzed around and the distinctive clumps of wood sorrel were a cheery sight. All in all a sap-stirring day - and the trees are definitely beginning to respond.

Wednesday 3.5.2023

Work, gigs, more work - and then a few days away, of which more in a minute.

Meanwhile Spring is trying very hard to take over - the larks are deafening, the gorse is at the peak of its golden glory and when the sun warms the air that coconut scent is intoxicating, there are lambs.  And yet, and yet. It is still unseasonably cold  - the fire is still being lit in the mornings and evenings though it is the merry month of May - and there is still no sign of the lapwings, the oyster catchers and the curlews which not that long ago were the real harbingers of Spring on the hill.  

Still, when we set off this morning in an attempt to get warm without lighting the fire, the bracing easterly kept us marching briskly along. The grass is growing, the first mowers have even been in action, there are catkins and buds and  bright green larch needles are emerging through the grey lichen. 

We took the longer route home which is becoming a regular part of our expeditions even though the woods it takes us by are still displaying the destruction of storm Arwen from all those months ago.

 Getting back into regular walks with the dogs has been a delight but last month there were six days away with different companions only one of which was canine. So another long distance walk completed, this time The Great Glen Way, not as challenging as last year`s West Highland Way but pretty demanding neverthless.

I completely failed to marshall pictures of the WHW or even write about it last year. I am currently trying to make up for that with this year`s expedition but there is such a thing as too many photos and too little energy (on my part) to keep an ongoing diary as we walked. I`m thinking of opening a new blog to try and record these events especially as I have a sneaking feeling that they are becoming slightly addictive: the pains and joys, the ups and downs - literally and metaphorically - the occasional injury (🙄) and the huge satisfaction of completing the journey even if you have to hobble into the final pub - it takes some beating.

For the time being here are a few random pictures while I go and continue trying to work the whole into some sort of cohesive account.

r two